Roadmap To A Lean 2004, Part 2, By: Hugo Rivera
Rules For Maximum Fat Loss With Maximum Muscle Retention
So having said all of this what is the best way to diet for maximum fat loss and muscle retention? The steps below provide you with the answer to this question:
1. Create a caloric deficit that enables you to lose 1-2 pounds per week. This is crucial, as without a caloric deficit no diet in the world will make you lose fat. Now remember that too high of a caloric deficit and you start cutting into precious lean muscle which in turn will lower your metabolism and make it harder for you to get lean. Multiplying your lean body weight (fat free mass) x 12 will give you a good starting baseline.
2. Now we also need to calculate how many nutrients you will need to take in. (Note: An auto-calculator is down below!) The three main nutrients that we are concerned with are carbohydrates, proteins and fats. In order to illustrate how to design your diet lets use a hypothetical bodybuilder that weighs 200 lbs and has a lean body mass (Fat Free Weight) of 175 lbs. This bodybuilder per our caloric formula above should take in 175 lbs (Lean Body Mass) times 12, which equals 2100 calories per day.
Calculating Fats: We said that we need 1 Tablespoon of Flax Oil per 75 lbs of total bodyweight. So therefore if you weigh 200 lbs you need around 2.6 tablespoon, which rounded up comes up to 3. So the key is 1 Tablespoon of Flaxseed Oil 3 times per day. Fat has 9 calories per gram and we know that each Tablespoon of Flax contains 14 grams of Fats (of which 10 are EFA's) so 14 times 3 tablespoons times 9 calories per gram equals 378 calories.
Calculating Protein: Once you know how many calories you are taking in from fats calculate your protein requirements. Assuming that you are going to the gym and training say 5 days a week with weights and doing 5 sessions of cardio per week then I would take in 1.5 grams of protein per Lean Body Mass (Fat Free Weight) which in the case of our hypothetical bodybuilder is 175 lbs times 1.5 which equals 262.5 so lets round it to 263 grams of protein. Since there are 4 calories per gram of protein the total amount of calories ingested equals 263 times 4, which equals 1052 calories.
Calculating Carbohydrates: Okay so now we have 378 fat calories plus 1052 protein calories. That is a total of 1430 calories. Since our bodybuilder can take in 2100 calories the remainder calories come in the form of low glycemic (slow releasing) carbs (except for the carbs after the workout). He needs to take in 670 calories from carbs as 2100-1430 = 670. Since each gram of carbohydrates has 4 calories by dividing 670 by 4 we get our gram amount, which in this case is 167.5 (which we can round to 168 grams).
1. Now that we know that we need 168 grams of carbs, 263 grams of protein and 42 grams of good fats we need to spread these in 6-7 meals. I like the 7 meal figure better as more meals equals a more enhanced metabolism and also more feeling of fullness as well as better protein absorption.
One thing that I like to do is to have most of the complex carbs in the morning, the fast released ones after the workout (which lately I have been doing at lunch time) and the fibrous carbs at night.
So with those figures here is how I would design my diet for the hypothetical 200 lb bodybuilder:
Cardio: ()
45 minutes of treadmill or any other preference at target heart rate.
Meal 1: ()
1.5 cups of Old Fashioned Oatmeal (measured dry)
1 full carton of egg beaters
½ scoop whey isolate
Meal 2: ()
1 chicken breast
1 tablespoon flax oil
Weight Training: ()
45 minutes of Fast Paced Weight Training
Meal 3: ()
1-1/2 scoops of whey isolate mixed w/
Grape Juice (enough juice to make 50 grams of carbs; read label)
Meal 4: ()
1 full carton of egg beaters
½ scoop whey isolate
Meal 5: ()
1 chicken breast
2 cans of no salt added green beans
Meal 6: ()
1 chicken breast
Meal 7: ()
1 full carton of egg beaters
½ scoop whey isolate
Needless to say you may substitute the foods above for other foods found in the tables above. The diet above has approximately the numbers required by our calculations.
Caloric wise if you were to read all of the labels and calculate calories you would notice that the diet is closer to 2400 calories rather than the 2100 and the reason for this is the incidental quantities of proteins and fats in foods such as oatmeal, green beans and chicken.
However, this is of no consequence as with 5 cardio sessions per week and 5 weight training session you would be creating a large enough caloric deficit to lose body fat. If you see yourself losing too much weight after the 2nd week (more than the 2 lbs prescribed) then add some calories in the form of carbs.
If you see that you are not losing a minimum of 1 lb after the 2nd week then I would recommend reducing the starchy carbs (not the fibrous at night) by 30 grams so I would take out roughly ½ cup of oatmeal from meal 1 which would eliminate 27 grams of carbs.
Final Tip: Drink Plenty Of Water!
Don't sabotage your diet by drinking calorie containing beverages; drink water instead! Water is by far the most abundant substance in our body. Without water, an organism would not survive very long. Most people that come to me for advice on how to get in shape, almost always underestimate the value of water.
Water is good for the following reasons:
1. Over 65% of your body is composed of water (most of the muscle cell is water).
2. Water cleanses your body from toxins and pollutants that would get you sick.
3. Water is needed for all of the complex chemical reactions that your body needs to perform on a daily basis. Processes such as energy production, muscle building, and fat burning require water. A lack of water would interrupt all of these processes.
4. Water helps lubricate the joints.
5. When the outside temperature is up, water serves as a coolant to bring the body temperature down to where it is supposed to be.
6. Water helps control your appetite. Sometimes when you feel hungry after a good meal this sensation indicates a lack of water. Drinking water at that time would take the craving away.
7. Cold water increases your metabolism.
In order to know how much water your body needs a day, just multiply your lean body weight by .66. This formula indicates how many ounces of water you need in a day.
Conclusion
Well, there you have it. Now you are armed with the information necessary to re-shape your body in the form that you like. With determination and through the application of these principles you will get in the best shape of your life in to time.
